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Through age rating, insurance companies can charge up to seven times or more based on age, making it much more difficult for older Americans to find affordable health coverage. This discriminatory practice is a key reason why 7.1 million older Americans were uninsured in 2007 — a figure that continues to grow.

AARP has been fighting for years to abolish age rating for the same reasons that we want to end private insurance discrimination based on a person’s gender or medical history: because fairness is a fundamental American value, and arbitrary discrimination in any form runs counter to who we are. This year we have an opportunity to make great progress toward ending discrimination and ensuring that those who need affordable, high-quality health care can find it.

Access to doctors

For the past seven years, Congress has engaged in an annual legislative game of chicken to avoid cuts to physician Medicare payments. Because Congress has yet to implement a permanent solution and instead, resorts to temporary fixes, the size of future cuts has also increased. In fact, in January 2010, physicians will face an unprecedented 21.5 percent cut in Medicare payment rates. Uncertainty about whether Congress will prevent the cuts has contributed to the decision of some physicians to stop taking Medicare patients, making finding a doctor increasingly difficult for millions of beneficiaries of Medicare.

Our research confirms this growing anxiety among older Americans. While the most important person in every senior’s life is his or her grandchild, the second most important is his or her doctor. A recently conducted poll found that two-thirds of people over 50 years old are either very or somewhat concerned that the current health care system limits their ability to see the doctor of their choice.

Fixing our broken system is complicated and confusing. Many difficult questions remain to be answered. One thing is certain — doing nothing is an unacceptable alternative. Without reform, health care costs will continue to rise. Medicare enrollees have already seen their premiums more than double this decade, and they already spend nearly a third of their income on out-of-pocket health costs.

For years, AARP has worked with Democrats, independents and Republicans to craft solutions, and we will continue to do so. The only standard we use to judge reform is simple: Will this legislation improve health care and provide peace of mind for older Americans and their families? Our members — and all Americans — deserve nothing less.

Readers' Comments (9)

OLD PEOPLE WILL VOTE YOU MARXIST SCUMBAGS OUT OF OFFICE...... OBAMA = ONE TERM - a national disgrace.... His health care is a thinly disguised MARXIST REDISTRIBUTION of wealth program aimed at ILLEGALS and has nothing to do with reform.......

If one is in Medicare and your Dr. says he has a new medicine that would help you...if Medicare denies this treatment and you happen to find a way to raise money for the treatment....Medicare denies payment to the Dr. for 2 yrs. So, a Dr. is punished by Medicare for trying to help his patient.

Last year, flu shots given in my area, were give to those without insurance for $20, to those on Medicare, they billed Medicare $118 and paid $118. So what's going on here...is Medicare being used to support the un-insured?

This year, this area doesn't even have the seasonal flu vaccine! Since we are giving foreign countries 10% or more of each batch of vaccines....I would guess this might be the reason we don't have them, as well as they are going to prisons and Gitmo!

To cut certain treatments from our own elderly citizens, to help to foreigners and prisoners, to those that refuse to buy insurance, etc.....is obscene!

AARP has one primary goal and that is to sell more supplemental insurance to the senior citizens after Obama and the democrats gut the Medicare budget. AARP is little more than a huge insurance company that stands to make billions if the nationalization of the health insurance industry goes through. AARP claims to be protecting the Medicare system, but they refuse to honestly address how the 500 billion dollar cuts proposed in the various proposed government plans will affect seniors.

I support AARP as a Member and Volunteer, but I fear the best we'll get on healthcare (and not for Christmas) is an "incrementalist" approach which is so watered down as to be virtually useless in the long run, and of only marginal assistance today and tomorrow. If a Democratic Congress and President can't produce on this agenda item, then I'll be looking for other leadership in 2010 and 2012. No one in this town is indispensable. You're only as good as what you' ve done for me lately.

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For all looking to save on their prescription expenses, there is a new website called 'Medtipster' that enables you to locate low-cost, generic prescriptions from reputable pharmacies in your area. All you have to do is tell the site what kind of medication you need, the dosage and your zip code and Medtipster will direct you to the least expensive retailer. It's a great money-saving tool that makes finding affordable prescriptions easy...google search "Medtipster" and have a look